U.S. Vice Presidents Who Became President
Fifteen vice presidents have gone on to serve as president. Only four sitting vice presidents have been elected president—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H.W. Bush. In addition, Richard Nixon and Joe Biden were also elected president after previously serving as vice presidents, though not while still in office. The remaining nine became president through the constitutional line of succession following the death or resignation of the sitting president.
John Adams
2nd President of the United States
John Adams served as the Vice President under President George Washington. Adams was elected the 2nd President of the United States in 1796.
Millard Fillmore
13th President of the United States
Millard Fillmore served as Vice President under President Zachary Taylor. Fillmore became the 13th President of the United States in 1850 after Taylor's death.
Calvin Coolidge
30th President of the United States
Calvin Coolidge served as Vice President under President Warren G. Harding. Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States in 1923 after Harding's death.
Richard Nixon
38th President of the United States
Richard Nixon served as Vice President under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States in 1968.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President of the United States
Thomas Jefferson served as Vice President under President John Adams. Jefferson was elected the 3rd President of the United States in 1800.
Andrew Johnson
17th President of the United States
Andrew Johnson served as Vice President under President Abraham Lincoln. Johnson became the 17th President of the United States in 1865 after Lincoln's assassination.
Harry Truman
33rd President of the United States
Harry Truman served as Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman became the 33rd President of the United States in 1945 after Roosevelt's death.
George H.W. Bush
41st President of the United States
George H. W. Bush served as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan. Bush was elected the 41st President of the United States in 1988.
Martin Van Buren
8th President of the United States
Martin Van Buren served as Vice President under President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was elected the 8th President of the United States in 1836.
Chester A. Arthur
21st President of the United States
Chester A. Arthur served as Vice President under President James Garfield. Arthur became the 21st President of the United States in 1881 after Garfield's assassination.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President of the United States
Lyndon B. Johnson served as Vice President under President John F. Kennedy. Johnson became the 36th President of the United States in 1963 after Kennedy's assassination.
Joe Biden
46th President of the United States
Joe Biden served as Vice President under President Barack Obama. Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States in 2020.
John Tyler
10th President of the United States
John Tyler served as Vice President under President William Henry Harrison. Tyler became the 10th President of the United States in 1841 after Harrison's death.
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States
Theodore Roosevelt served as Vice President under President William McKinley. Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States in 1901 after McKinley's assassination.
Gerald R. Ford
37th President of the United States
Gerald R. Ford served as Vice President under President Richard Nixon. Ford became the 38th President of the United States in 1974 after Nixon's resignation.